1985 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

American college football season

1985 Oklahoma State Cowboys football
Gator Bowl, L 23–34 vs. Florida State
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Record8–4 (4–3 Big 8)
Head coach
  • Pat Jones (2nd season)
Offensive coordinatorLarry Coker (3rd season)
Home stadiumLewis Field
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Big Eight Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Oklahoma $ 7 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 11 Nebraska 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Oklahoma State 4 – 3 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Colorado 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Iowa State 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Kansas 2 – 5 – 0 6 – 6 – 0
Kansas State 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
Missouri 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1985 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the Big Eight Conference during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Pat Jones, the Cowboys compiled an 8–4 record (4–3 against conference opponents), tied for third place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 255 to 188.[1][2]

The team's statistical leaders included Thurman Thomas with 1,650 rushing yards and 102 points scored, Ronnie Williams with 1,757 passing yards, and Bobby Riley with 659 receiving yards.[3][4]

The team played its home games at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma.[5]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 7at No. 12 Washington*No. 16W 31–1759,205[6]
September 14North Texas State*No. 8W 10–949,100[7][8]
September 28Miami (OH)*No. 7
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 45–10[9]
October 5Tulsa*No. 6
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK (rivalry)
W 25–1349,400[10]
October 12No. 9 NebraskaNo. 5
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
L 24–3450,400[11]
October 26at KansasNo. 12W 17–1035,200
November 2at ColoradoNo. 12W 14–1135,860
November 9Kansas StatedaggerNo. 10
  • Lewis Field
  • Stillwater, OK
W 35–350,000
November 16at MissouriNo. 10W 21–19
November 23at Iowa StateNo. 7L 10–1540,025
November 30No. 3 OklahomaNo. 17
L 0–1344,000
December 30vs. No. 18 Florida State*No. 19ABCL 23–3479,417[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1985 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR Lynn Beck
OL Paul Blair
TE Kenneth Brown
OL Derek Burton
TE J.R. Dillard
WR Hart Lee Dykes Fr
QB Roderick Gaines
RB Harold Greene
RB Garrett Limbrick
RB Curtis Luper
OL Doug Meacham
RB Joe Miller
RB Mitch Nash
QB Rusty Rankin
WR Bob Riley
OL Chuck Shanklin
RB 34 Thurman Thomas So
RB Will Timmons
OL David Tucker
WR Terry Wemer
QB Ronnie Williams
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB Ricky Adams
DB Melvin Gilliam
LB James Ham
DL Dana Hawkins
DB Mike Hudson
DB 44 Mark Moore Jr
DL Leslie O'Neal
DL Ricky Shaw
DL Warren Thompson
DL Brian Fitzgerald
DL John Washington
DB DeMise Williams
DB Windell Yancy
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P Cary Cooper
K Brad Dennis
K Joey O'Donnell
P Rich Thompson
Head coach
  • Pat Jones
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Game summaries

Oklahoma

#3 Oklahoma Sooners (8–1) at #17 Oklahoma State Cowboys (8–2)
Period 1 2 34Total
Oklahoma 0 10 0313
Oklahoma St 0 0 000

at Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma

  • Date: November 30
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: low 20s
  • Game attendance: 44,000
  • TV: ESPN
  • [13]
Game information

First quarter

  • No scoring

Second quarter

  • OU – Tim Lashar 27-yard field goal. Oklahoma 3–0. Drive:
  • OU – Spencer Tillman 3-yard run (Tim Lashar kick). Oklahoma 10–0. Drive:

Third quarter

  • No scoring

Fourth quarter

  • OU – Tim Lashar 30-yard field goal, 5:44. Oklahoma 13–0. Drive:
Top passers
  • OU – Jamelle Holieway – 4/5, 54 yards, INT
  • OSU – Ronnie Williams – 5/25, 32 yards, INT
Top rushers
Top receivers
  • OU – Damon Stell – 1 reception, 31 yards
  • OSU – Kenneth Brown – 1 reception, 15 yards

After the season

The 1986 NFL Draft was held on April 29–30, 1986. The following Cowboys were selected.[14]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
1 8 Leslie O'Neal Defensive end San Diego Chargers
3 73 John Washington Defensive end New York Giants
4 110 Paul Blair Tackle Chicago Bears

References

  1. ^ "1985 Oklahoma State Cowboys Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Oklahoma State Cowboy Football 2016 Guide" (PDF). Oklahoma State University. p. 173. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  3. ^ 2016 Football Guide, pp. 168, 170.
  4. ^ "1985 Oklahoma State Cowboys Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  5. ^ 2016 Football Guide, pp. 217, 219.
  6. ^ "Thomas runs, passes Cowboys over Huskies 31-17". The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. September 8, 1985. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Oklahoma State resists North Texas State's bid". Florida Today. September 15, 1985. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Rally by NTSU falls short against Oklahoma State". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 15, 1985. p. 15B – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Tom Kensler (September 29, 1985). "Thomas' TDs Propel Pokes To 45-10 Win". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Tom Kensler (October 6, 1985). "Williams, Defense Lift OSU, 25-13". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Tom Kensler (October 13, 1985). "Nebraska's Offense Stings OSU". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Tom Kensler (December 31, 1985). "Seminoles Shock Cowboys, 34-23". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. 17, 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1985 Dec 01.
  14. ^ "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
Venues
Bowls & rivalries
Culture & lore
People
Seasons
National championship seasons in bold